Following is a list of Michigan
Department of Agriculture (MDA) programs and recommendations to downsize,
outsource, or eliminate.The MDA
was created in 1921 by the Michigan Legislature.According to the department’s official web site, its
mission is "to serve, promote and protect the food, agricultural,
environmental and economic interests of the people of Michigan."[2]This sweeping statement effectively authorizes the department to involve
itself in aspects of civil society in which government action may be unnecessary
or counterproductive, distorting market mechanisms and incentives in the
process.Accordingly, the Legislature should reduce and/or eliminate
low-priority programs, including those listed below.Doing so will reduce the MDA budget by 35 percent.